The day of the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th has finally arrived, and the much-anticipated finals of the Oiran Competition are finally about to begin. Starting from the afternoon, the moment Ning Haijun’s ban was lifted, the whole city came from Yongjin in the west of Hangzhou.
The three city gates of Qingbo and Qiantang rushed to the shore of the West Lake. For a time, there was a huge crowd of people, rubbing shoulders with each other, dragging their children with their daughters, bringing their wives and concubines, and it was noisy and chaotic.
The security forces in the city of Hangzhou and the troops stationed in the Ning Navy were like a powerful enemy, and they tried their best to maintain order. The soldiers at the city gate screamed at the people who were rushing and crowding, and from time to time someone was dragged to death by the soldiers from the crowd like a dog.
Leave because they disrupted the normal order or took advantage of the troubled waters to steal money and molest women.
The west bank of the West Lake, from the Siren Bridge in the south to the Wangchao Tower in the north, was gradually filled with dense crowds. The officers and soldiers had divided areas on the shore in advance, leaving passages for people to pass through, and tried their best to ensure that the people on the lake shore were safe.
Traffic is smooth.
On the offshore lake, the open water between the shore and the pontoon has long been occupied by various ships. The big boats of wealthy and powerful families have actually arranged their positions in the morning, and they are approaching the pontoon.
The best viewing position. Of course, this position was obtained by spending money and face to bribe the generals of Ning Haijun. Ning Haijun sent out, and it was not in vain. Even the Hangzhou government office also acquiesced.
They can gain some benefits at this time, otherwise the officers and soldiers of the Ning Navy would not be willing to use their heart.
The gaps in the big ship were filled with those dinghy boats and awning boats. Today, the rent for dinghy boats has risen to five qian an hour, which is already five times more than usual. But even so, West Lake
The more than 300 small boats used for operation are all booked early. From afternoon to night, for seven or eight hours, these boat owners can earn half a month's income in one day.
Be happy and bloom.
Of course, it’s not just the boatmen who benefit from the sailing boats. The savvy merchants in Hangzhou have long been prepared for this day. They sell various snacks, clear water, lanterns, bamboo mats, and even real high-rise buildings for people to stand on a high place to take a good look at.
There are many ways to rent footstools. In short, this day is not just an oiran competition, not just a grand event where celebrities and scholars gather, nor is it just a day for vendors to make a lot of money, but a comprehensive hodgepodge gathering.
After lunch, Lin Jue, Fang Huanqiu, Lu Wu and Lin Hu took a detour out of the city from Beimen Gate to the Liulin Pier on the north bank of the West Lake and boarded the red boat at Wangyue Tower. The red boat at Wangyue Tower was naturally unimpeded.
After passing the Hangzhou Navy checkpoint set up on the water, we arrived at our home location and parked.
The flower boats of each brothel participating in the competition have a specific location, which is on the water hill 20 steps south of the floating platform. The boat mooring locations of each brothel are separated by driftwood, and the distance between them is more than 20 steps to ensure that they are well connected with each other.
There is no collision and the ships sail smoothly in and out. Each flower boat arrives at its respective location one after another. At this time, you can see the strength and investment level of each brothel.
Led by the two brothels of Wanhualou and Qunfangge, the flower boats of these two companies are not only huge, but also specially decorated. Not to mention the lanterns and colors, decorations are installed on both sides of the bow, stern and sides of the boat.
Take Wanhualou's flower boat as an example. The bow is a colorful crest, the stern is a colorful tail, and both sides are a pair of colorful wings extending diagonally from the side of the boat. The entire flower boat is dressed up as a flower boat.
The appearance of a phoenix bird should mean that it flies up a branch and becomes a phoenix.
The red boat in Qunfang Pavilion is naturally not inferior to Wanhua Tower. The whole boat is decorated to look like a koi carp with a golden tail and colorful scales painted on the hull. The meaning is naturally obvious, that is to make the fish shine at the dragon gate.
The meaning of soaring into the sky.
In addition, the boats of famous houses in Hangzhou, such as Piaoxiangyuan, Hongxiuzhao, Baihua Pavilion, Lichun Courtyard, etc., have also been decorated and decorated with flowers. In comparison, the red boat of Wangyue Tower can simply be called
It can be described as shabby. It is already inferior in terms of size and newness, and no fuss has been made about the decoration. It is just a symbolic hanging of a dozen red lanterns, which is incomparable with other houses. Such a shabby red boat is mixed in.
It seemed extremely abrupt and out of place among all the flower boats. Even the women on the flower boats on both sides cast disdainful glances from time to time, pointing and making sarcastic remarks.
However, everyone in Wangyue Tower didn't pay attention to this. There was a commotion outside. In the boat hall, they were still memorizing their lines, rehearsing their postures and dialogues, and making final preparations. Lin Jue, Fang Huanqiu, Luwu and others
Sitting at the small table in the corner, drinking tea and chatting leisurely, looking out through the long window at the dense flow of boats and people on the lake and on the lake shore.
Time passed quickly, and the sunset had already set without realizing it, and the dark blue sky became high and solemn. The evening wind blew by, bringing with it the fragrance of the laurels blooming in the city, and the strong autumn flavor filling the air.
meaning.
After several hours of chaos, the people on the shore and on the lake have now settled down. The entire east bank of the West Lake and the water dozens of steps east of the pontoon are densely packed with boats and people, and the sky is as dark as dark clouds.
Not only that, people were also standing on the ground on the west wall of Hangzhou, and the willow branches beside the lake were also full of people. It is roughly estimated that there were as many as 200,000 people participating in the entire area.
"Dong dong dong!" "Dong dong dong!"
A burst of passionate drumbeats sounded in the dusk. As the drums played, wind lanterns were lifted up on high poles one after another, lighting up the night sky in the entire area like stars. The mood of the people began to rise, and every day
When the wind lanterns were lit up, the people cheered and shouted. Hundreds of wind lanterns were lit up, and the people shouted hundreds of times.
The drumming continued, and the people's eyes turned to the dark lake in the distance. Suddenly, the entire lake south of the floating platform shone with colorful lights, and all the participating red boats lit up their lights almost at the same time.
Lamps of various colors illuminate the beautiful red boats, which look like a fairyland from a distance.
"Wow! Wow!" the people clapped their hands and shouted loudly. Some people were so excited that they almost shed tears.
The drumbeats became more violent and rapid, and the place where the drumbeats came from was the floating platform that was the center of attention tonight, as the finals. At this moment, it was dark and without any splendor. But as the drums beat
Suddenly stopped, dozens of colorful fireworks shot into the sky from all around the floating platform, and then countless firework fireworks lit up around the floating platform. The fireworks illuminated the entire floating platform. This scene was really gorgeous and magnificent.
Praise.
The people were shouting like crazy, and their voices soared into the sky. Amidst the shouts, the lights on the floating platform were also lit, and the entire floating platform suddenly became a beautiful castle in the air. The floating platform was covered with a huge red carpet.
, the surrounding pillars are wrapped in red silk cloth, high-rolled curtains are layered on top of each other, and several huge landscape screens stand as the background behind the stage. The entire floating platform is beautiful and exquisite.
The big black ship slowly sailed from the waterway on the north side of the floating platform into everyone's sight. It slowly docked at the temporary dock hill on the north side of the floating platform. A group of more than a dozen old men on the bow slowly stepped onto the springboard and came to the floating platform.
Standing in a row in the middle of the stage.
"I saw daddy." Fang Huanqiu, who was sitting by the window of the Flower Boat Hall of Wangyue Building, shouted in a low voice.
Lin Jue also saw Fang Dunru standing in the middle of the stage and smiled unconsciously.
"Sir, he trimmed his beard today, and also put on a new robe and a new hat." Lin Jue said.
"That's right. It seems that although dad said he doesn't want to attend such an occasion, he really takes it very seriously." Fang Huanqiu said with a chuckle.
Lin Jue smiled and said nothing, focusing his attention outside. All the people outside fell silent, knowing that the show was about to begin.
An old man in blue robe slowly stepped forward, stood at the entrance of the stage and bowed to the four parties, and said loudly: "Dear fellow villagers and elders. I, Zhao Zimo, am trusted by many people in the flower world in Hangzhou, and I am the winner of this year's Oiran Competition.
Master of Ceremonies. If there is anything inappropriate, please forgive me."
Zhao Zimo is a professor at Fu Xue. Although he is not famous, he is very eloquent and good at making eloquent remarks. He has actually been the master of ceremonies for the Hangzhou Oiran Competition for twelve consecutive years. He has also become an iconic figure in the Hangzhou Oiran Competition. He is very important to Hangzhou.
As far as the common people are concerned, when they see Zhao Zimo on the stage, they know that this year will be the same and the original Oiran Competition has begun.
"Before the Oiran Competition begins, I would like to introduce you to the distinguished guests who are coming tonight. I am honored to announce to you that I, the King of Liang of the Zhou Dynasty, am also here!"
Zhao Zimo pointed to the left excitedly, and everyone looked in the direction of his finger, only to see the lights on a large ship light up, immediately revealing a tall dragon-headed ship in everyone's sight. This dragon-headed ship
The big ship was not there before dark, and it must have just arrived here to berth in a low-key manner. The ship was taller than all the ships present, and was not much bigger than the flagship ship of the Ning Navy. The lights came on,
You can also see the towering ship building, carved beams and painted columns, and its majestic style.
On the high bow deck, dozens of guards holding swords stood on the bow. In the middle, there was a square table of eight immortals. A middle-aged man stood up from the chair next to the table and slowly moved towards the black pressure.
The crowd waved and saluted, with smiles on their faces.
He is the thousand-year-old Guo Bing, the king of Liang, who lives in Hangzhou, and is the half-brother of the current emperor. He is dressed in a splendid robe made of golden flowers, shimmering under the light, and the hairpin on his head shines brightly.
The common people shouted one after another: "I have seen the prince live a thousand years old. The prince has a thousand years old and is safe."
"Hahaha. You don't need to be polite. Today is August 15th, the night of the full moon. The oiran competition is about to be exciting. I am here to have fun with you. Let's congratulate our great Zhou Dynasty for its long-lasting dominance over the country." Liang
Wang shouted loudly and loudly.
"Okay! Your Majesty said it well!" The people cheered.
"Your Majesty, you have come here at a thousand years old to make the Oiran Competition even more glorious. Your Majesty, please take a seat." Zhao Zimo said with cupped hands from a distance.
King Liang nodded and sat down slowly. A young man in brocade clothes and a girl with picturesque features who stood up behind him also sat down after King Liang took his seat. Several maids were holding pomegranates, grapes, preserved meat, wine and other items.
Put it on the table. The girl picked up a bunch of grapes, picked them one by one and put them in her mouth, her eyes looking at the stage for a moment.
